SMSU Women fall, Gopher Women start their run

(Pittsburg, KS) — The Southwest Minnesota State women’s basketball team saw its magical ride to the N-C-A-A Division II Sweet 16 come to an end last night, falling to Pittsburg State 85-82 in Pittsburg, Kansas. Mustangs’ guard Bri Stoltzman of Mankato scored 31 points and her teammate Audrey Swanson of Waconia added 27 points in the setback. The Mustangs built a 15-point second quarter lead and had an 11-point halftime lead and a five-point lead heading into the fourth quarter. The host Gorillas outscored S-M-S-U 20-9 in the final eight minutes of the game. The Mustangs finish the year with a 28-5 record. Pittsburg State improved to 32-3 and advanced to the Elite Eight. Meanwhile, the Minnesota State-Moorhead men’s basketball team plays in the D-II Sweet 16 tonight in Topeka, Kansas, taking on Washburn (KS) at 7 P-M.

(Minneapolis, MN) — The Golden Gopher women’s basketball team will open the W-B-I-T on the road on Thursday night at Toledo. Minnesota had the better seed, but could not host the game due to scheduling conflicts with Williams Arena. Gopher head coach Dawn Plitzuweit called the situation “challenging.” Minnesota is 20-11 on the season and narrowly missed out on an N-C-A-A Tournament bid and earned a two-seed in the W-B-I-T. The host Rockets are 24-8 on the season and average more than four-thousand fans per game. Tip time on Thursday is set for 7 P-M. The winning team will advance to a second round game on Sunday against either Missouri State or Oral Roberts.

(Undated) — The N-C-A-A Men’s Tournament tips off tonight in Dayton, Ohio. A pair of First Four matchups will get things going. Alabama State and St. Francis-PA will meet in a battle of 16-seeds. North Carolina will clash with fellow 11-seed San Diego State in the night cap. The winners will advance to the first round of the men’s basketball championship, which begins on Thursday.